Chapter 11: Chapter 11: The Urban Dungeon

The North Sumar City sewers were far less spacious and inviting for outsiders than in CenSum. Primarily utilitarian, NoSum used to be the poorest district before the cart systems allowed for much faster access to the metro center. The undercity hallways connecting the various buildings, waterways (both sewer and fresh), and long forgotten storage areas were much narrower and less evenly carved than they were in the areas under the rich CenSum and Dwarven SoSum. 

It made for a warm, moist, unpleasant air, moving in patterns that were mystifying to my untrained senses. The light was as sparse here as it was earlier, and I asked Justin as he descended, “Will you have trouble getting around in this dark?”

“I’ve got the Infravision spell memorized so as long as we take a short break each hour, I should be good. Give me a moment to cast.”

He made a few gestures and spoke in High Etherium, an elven derived magical system. I asked, when he finished, “What spells do you have memorized?”

Wizards could memorize a handful of spells that could be cast without referring to their spellbook, simply expending extra mana necessary to cast it freeform. Given Justin’s innate mana pool, this was likely negligible. 

My own stats were much less impressive, especially factoring in my fifteen levels above his:

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Name: Scaleen 

Race and Age: Kobold, 53

Class and Occupation: Scout Level 23, Scribe: Master.

Health, Mana, and Stamina: 157/157, 47/47, 60/60

Natural Armor Rating: 89

MCL AGL  BWN  KNW  PER  POI

  9        14         11         15       19      12

 

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“Um, I have Infravision, Flameshot, Stunbolt, Light Shield, Blast Back, Limited Telekinesis, Thaumaturgy, and Grease.”

“You have eight spells memorized at level eight?” Most people could memorize two spells. Wizards could memorize four at the base level, as I’ve been told.

“I, uh, have a feat called ‘Fast Learner’. I can memorize spells if I cast them enough.”

“That is very impressive.”

I wouldn’t lie to myself about my envy of Justin’s scores and feats. His mana and stamina were simply incredible. He must have other feats I’d never learned about, but then, having knowledge of exactly what skills and ability scores to advance for maximum impact does make a difference.

I had to ask anyway. “Justin. Is it true that nobility and God’s Chosen are born with extra feats in this world?”

“No... not that I’m aware of. People have hacked this game to the core and I’ve never heard of that.”

“I see. So all feats are truly hidden behind just specific skill levels and ability scores?” 

“Yeah. I mean, some races have access to certain feats at lower levels, but nothing’s locked off. Fast Learner is an Earned feat once your [Arcanics] is maxed. I think I started this life with [Arcanics] already maxed out because I’d memorized the spell trees and specializations in my many playthroughs from before. The full upgrade tree is ridiculously easy to abuse, if you know how to chain them.” He had the modesty to sound a little chagrined.

“Thank you for being honest.” 

“Are you okay, Scaleen?” He must have gotten better at reading my tonal pitch. If I wanted to keep my own secrets, I would have to be careful. 

“Nobility and most of the major religions preach that feats are wholly granted at God’s whim, which is why nobles have such good stats compared to the average, say, baker. There are others who believe that it is just a means by which information is hoarded to keep the lower echelons from getting above their place. You have just confirmed a… heretical theory I’ve heard passed around.”

A Guidance Screen popped up in front of me. 

You are reading story The Halcyon Call or: How I Learned to Befriend Isekai and Play the Metagame at novel35.com

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You have earned a new Feat because of your paradigm shift in the understanding of the world as well as having a strong Freedom alignment and minimum of 15 Knowledge and Perspective and skill scores necessary.

[Anarchist (H)]

You gain 2 skill ranks in [Discern] and +1 Perspective and lose 1 rank in [Deception] (this does not change the max rank for skills or ability scores). You are immune to magical compulsion and can sense both the source and intended effect. You deal an additional 20% damage to Order aligned individuals. You may lose this feat if your alignment changes away from Freedom. This is a Hidden feat and may not be Inspected by others.

Do you accept this feat? 

(Yes)  (No)

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It was not a hard decision to make. I tapped “yes”, which caused the screen to disappear. 

“You take a lot of notes, Scaleen.”

“Yes I do. Give me a moment to put on my helmet and bracers?” Because of my posture, my head, neck, and front arms were most vulnerable, followed by my tail behind me. Kobold tails were notoriously thick skinned, but I would have bought armor for my neck and tail anyway, if I had the money to invest in better gear.

“Ah sure, I need to change after you.”

“If you want.” 

I took off my vest and skirt, which caused Justin to turn away. Mammalians. I didn’t have any external sexual organs really, and I didn’t want my good clothing to get covered in blood. I left my spare daggers in their holsters on my thigh, but gripped my primary ones, holding the straight blade in a standard grip and the curved one in a reverse. 

He changed facing away from me and I let him have his privacy. Most people didn’t bother to do bounties at night, as the sewers tended to have more lively denizens, as things migrated from the shallow depths upwards. A boon for us as we took two bounties for dire rats, which did not like the upper layers normally.

“Which way do you suggest, Justin?” 

“Um, Most of these are nearer Central Sumar. That way.” He pointed towards where the distant sound of water seemed to come from. I nodded. 

“I’ll scout ahead and engage them. Will you be comfortable casting or do you prefer to fight hand-to-hand?”

“No that works, just don’t worry if a few spill over to me. If we see a big group of them, I can take them out all at once.” 

The dark and narrow hallways seemed to open up at random intervals. I didn’t know how well Justin’s spell lit up the darkness, but I was able to see things scurrying or squirming without issue. We happened upon a scattered pack of large rats - maybe twenty pounds each - picking at what looked like some refuse incorrectly disposed of. I killed one outright with my reversed dagger in its head, but the remaining five screamed at the passing of their packmate. 

Three of them engaged me, and I backed up a few steps, not wanting any of them to flank me out of sight. They leapt as one, and I shoved two of them back with my daggers, my armguards protecting me from the worst of their claws and teeth, while I merely opened my jaw and snapped down hard on the one right in front of me as a flash of light temporarily blinded me. It screeched and I opened my mouth to let it flail out and limp back - I did not want to imagine what eating these dirty, disgusting things would do to my digestion tomorrow.

I shook the light from my eyes, my vision adjusting to flashes happening behind me. Before the three could regroup, I fell on the one at my right, my reversed dagger playing parry to teeth as I stabbed into its gut. The uninjured one looked like it was about leap onto my back, but it burst into flames. 

I stalked after and finished the one I’d bitten as the one I’d stabbed also burst into flames at Justin’s spell. 

He hadn’t moved from his place at the entrance to the room, but looked at me with a grin and a victorious gesture. 

“Good aim.” 

“Thanks! It’s nice to fight on a team.” He’d taken out four of the six, but he didn’t rub it in, at least.

“I can imagine.” I began swiftly cutting off their heads to collect the bounty. I placed them in the satchel I’d bought to collect the parts in. 

We stalked the sewers that way, my effort to engage them quietly and his firing on them with streaks of fire. I thought the smell of burnt hair was more wretched than the small viscera of collecting trophies, personally, but Justin seemed to have trouble stomaching the trophy collection.